Social and environmental sustainability

Precious Woods Amazon passed the recertification audits for FSC and PEFC with excellent results, credibly documenting that we set standards in regard to the sustainable use of our forest areas. We also passed the annual audit of the ministry responsible for forestry, IBAMA, without reservations. We are still working on several scientific projects to examine our activity over the medium and long term and to obtain information to optimize and document our forestry operations. We are also in close and intensive contact with the regional communities, allowing us to undertake useful joint projects. The focus is on forestry training for the local population and work security, but also support for local small businesses through several development projects.

We also engaged in the following activities in the reporting year:

• The partnership programmes initiated and renewed in 2018 were continued. Directly or indirectly, they benefit more than 1 000 inhabitants.
• Together with the military police of Itacoatiara, investigations of poaching and illegal woodcutting were conducted in the region. The patrols to secure our forest areas were also intensified, and activities were expanded for example by installing warning signs, distributing information brochures and initiating a series of lectures.
• In cooperation with EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), we started a project on the measuring of tree growth after harvesting and the productivity capacity of the tree population. This project is being continued, providing valuable analysis data over time for scientific purposes. In 2018, 80 permanent monitoring areas were reviewed, and another 100 in 2019.
• More than 20 different research projects on the environment and sustainability are currently underway in collaboration with INPA (research institute), UFAM (Federal University of Amazonas), EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), UEA (Amazonas State University), and HAFL (Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences)).
• We continue to strive to promote products from the agricultural production of the communities, such as cassava flour, fruit pulp, tucumã, rambutan, and vegetables. This enriches the diet of the local population, and we ourselves are an important purchaser of the products. We also continue to support the extraction of non-timber forest products (oils, resins, seeds, and other natural essences). These are traditionally processed by the communities, and the marketing thereof contributes to their income.
• In addition, we continue to be active in offering courses for vocational development and improvement of skills for the manufacture of handicrafts. This program is done in partnership with CETAM (Center for Technological Education of Amazonas) and SENAI (National Industrial Learning Service). These courses provide the local population with the opportunity to improve their income with the manufacture and sale of handmade products.